Embraer opens new general-aviation center in São Paulo

Valor Internacional

Brazilian aircraft maker Embraer Thursday is launching a new general-aviation center in Sorocaba, São Paulo. Located near the local airport, the R$50 million investment is the company's seventh service unit in Brazil. Embraer operates a fleet of 161 executive jets, and Brazil itself, with 820 aircraft, has the third largest private fleet in the world after the US and Mexico. Marco Túlio Pellegrini, managing president of Embraer Aviação Executiva, estimates demand for up to 550 new executive jets in Brazil over the next decade. Internationally, Embraer ranks third in the executive jet market, with 17.6%, or 720 planes. The segment generated 20% of the company's $6.2 billion in revenue last year.